Deng Linlin (China)

China’s team captain brings a wealth of experience: She competed on every apparatus in Beijing, and was central to helping her team secure gold in front of an expectant home crowd. Ahead of London she won the all-around at the Chinese nationals, and kept the momentum going inside the North Greenwich Arena during qualifications by qualifying with the sixth highest score for the all-around final. Rising to just 4’6”, she packs a lot of power in her tiny frame and is known for her attack—especially on the balance beam. She posted the fourth highest score on beam during qualifications. That’s not exactly surprising. She has two world championship medals on the event—a gold from 2009, and a silver from 2010.